Denis Blanchette tables bill for Pont de Québec

Conservative government could save tax payers $100M by adopting it

New Democrat MP Denis Blanchette (Louis-Hébert) is calling on the Conservatives to prioritize and adopt his Bill C-676 to force CN to repaint the Pont de Québec, tabled today in the House of Commons.

“The government has the power to speed up the adoption of my bill,” said Denis Blanchette. “If he truly has the Québec region at heart, I invite Denis Lebel to set his ego aside and work with the NDP to adopt this bill before the 2015 election. My bill will save taxpayers $100M; and the Conservatives should take this into consideration instead of playing politics with the Pont de Quebec.”

Blanchette’s bill is supported by the mayors of Québec City and Lévis, as well as citizens who care about the future of the Pont de Québec. The Conservatives and Denis Lebel are the only ones opposed to it. “The Minister is forgetting that his government has lost the battle they’ve been dragging on for 10 years,” said Blanchette. “Nothing is forcing CN to repaint the bridge. That’s why we’re at a dead end today. We need legislative change.”

The document contains two measures. The first stipulates that heritage rail structures recognized under the Historic Sites and Monuments Act be maintained to preserve their beauty and historic nature and the second allows the government to order that the work be done and paid for by the owner.

“Heritage railway structures like the Pont de Québec must be maintained in order to highlight their important place in the history of our country. With my bill, CN will be required to repaint the Pont de Québec so it can go from being a source of shame to one of pride for Quebecers,” said Blanchette.

“Denis Lebel can call us all the names he likes, but New Democrats are practical. We want results and that’s what we’ll get with my bill. The Conservatives have been in power for 10 years and all we’ve gotten is more rust,” said Blanchette.